Today there was a get together of people professionally interested in all the green developments in Rotterdam. Last Sunday Sander did a trial run of weed parcels. I said then i would come today, Wednesday 20 September. As it turned out, the meeting was replaced to the Peace Garden. There was still work done on the concrete pavement on the Tuin op de Hofbogen, so it wasn’t possible there.
I mainly focused on the food. I did see some people i knew from time gone by a long time ago. Good.
And now, i’m tired. Really tired. It was a bit of a rush. A photo. That is it.
This morning i baked another courgette chocolate cake. Hmmm. In the garden most people enjoyed it. Hellen came by with a vegan banana date and blueberry oatmeal cake. Lovely!
I picked a whole row of green beans. After that i wandered around and made photos. Talked a bit with the people working. Talked with Nina about her tiny hands, nails and feet. Daniëls hands were bigger than her feet. Not by much, but still… bigger.
I went home in time, around six. Made something to eat, some potatoes and green beans with a bit of cottage cheese and sambal. Listened to some music. Then Daniël called, asking me if i could come by and help close the wagons. Someone else had forgotten to give back his keys. So of course. I took my compost bucket with me to empty.
A lovely day. Dry. Quite a few talks. Some good ones, some a bit less. But still ending up good. And no, i’m not an angel. 😛 Still have many faults, many thoughts in my mind which i shouldn’t have. Aware of them more now though. But still a struggle. But it is getting better!
This morning i baked a chocolate courgette cake. It was wonderful. I did grate a whole courgette. Apart form the inner seeds, which i had cut out. I also used olive oil instead of butter. It was very chocolaty. Very dark. With some moist dark brown bits where the chocolate tips were melted. Wonderful.
I did some weeding. Harvested the courgettes. Some green beans. Rosehips and buckthorns. Talked. Great.
Happy.
Salute!
The last week i am hosting two special opening evenings in the garden on the Hofbogen, the fruit garden i work on at Tuesdays. Last week it was very quiet, only two people came by. This week five people!
It was a lovely evening. Warm. Sunny with a bit of clouds. The noises of the city all around me, while i was sitting in this silent garden on top, with a beautiful view. Lovely.
Part of the garden on the Hofbogen at the old Station Hofplein is a wild flower and herb field, especially sown a few years ago. These flowers and herbs bloom all around the shrubs and trees planted. The thyme with its pink purple flowers, enjoyed by the bumblebees and honey bees crawling over them. The white and yellow flowers, whose names i don’t know to be honest. The teunisbloem. The poppies flowering in their short lived life in red bloom. Even the thistle looks lovely, with it purple flowers.
We cleaned up the vegetable beds and the round circles around the trees. Around half past two we had a bit of lunch. I had made a courgette gherkin and onion mayo spread and a goats cheese cottage cheese and mayo beetroot spread the day before. It was lovely.
I have been following the Educatieve tuin de Enk, the Educational garden The Enk for a couple of months i’m sure. Last week i got the thought of visiting it. But last Wednesday it was pouring rain, so i moved it to this Wednesday, 19 July. It was predicted it was going to be warm, so i left rather early, a quarter to nine this morning.
I walked all the way south. It was already warm, but this early it was doable. Over the Willemsbrug, the Laan van Zuid, the Beijerlandselaan, the Groene Hilledijk, the Dreef and the Kortedreef. I had to ask someone which way the Enk was. When i entered the garden around a quarter past ten i saw to the left some chickens (yay!) and people. I went over and introduced myself. I mentioned the Peace Garden and some names of people from there who do know the Enk. I got a cup of coffee – yay! I also picked a few blackberries. A bit sour, but still yummy.
I went into the garden. Below are some of the photographs i made. I was overwhelmed. This is the best garden i have seen, ever. It was tidy, with beds for flowers, a wild flower field, separate places for the compost, with clear guidelines for what should go where. Around the main garden there were small paths in between trees and shrubs, close to the water surrounding the garden. At the back was a herbal garden. Well known kitchen herbs, medicinal herbs, cotton and flax and so many other things were growing there. Around to the other side was a part for lessons for school children, and seeding and planting area, a small greenhouse with grapes and tomatoes, an area filled with blackberries.
I wandered around the garden for around two hours. I talked with Corien for a bit. Expressed my admiration for the garden.
It is getting a bit harder for the garden. Subsidies for school busses to and from the garden are not given anymore. Only a few schools close by are still using the garden for lessons. But it is still operating. Open each working day from 8:30 till 16:30. I will definitely go back and spend more time there and hopefully do some work. Absolutely lovely!
